Boiler cleaner



June 1 1926.

J. c. RICHARDS BOILER CLEANER File Nov- 1918 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 m WM .w W R 1, W a 7 h w U 0 J E A 0 0 000000 0000000 oooooooo mw 000000000 ,0 o w D E LV June 1 1926 J. C. RICHARDS BOILER CLEANER Filed Nov. 23, 1918 2 *Shetsfi heei; 2

Egwuehtoz J h 6, Rv'ohardg t1 Browne 11 Patented June 1, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH C. RICHARDS, 013 DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO DIAMOND POWER SPECIALTY CORPORATION, A CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN.

BOILER CLEANER.

Application filed November 23, 1918. Serial No. 263,818.

This invention relates to boiler cleaners and refers more particularly to boiler cleaners of the type in which a rotatable pipe or other member is employed for discharging jets of steam against the surfaces to be cleaned.

In certain types of boilers of the water tube type difiiculty is encountered in properly mounting a rotatable blower unit owing to the lack of space between the rows of boiler tubes. To overcome this objection it has been proposed to employ longitudinally shiftable pipes having but one half the usual number of discharge nozzles and shifting the pipe longitudinally to bring it alternately into registration with the tubes. Such construction is objectionable not only because of the complications in the apparatus but also the fact that only one half the usual number of tubes can be cleaned at a given time.

The present invention particularly contemplates a means for overcoming such difficulties and in the particular construction shown in the drawings the advantage of being able to clean all of the tubes by a single movement of the hand wheel or other rotating member is secured by using two relatively small blower pipes, these pipes being located on opposite sides of a row of boiler tubes and preferably simultaneously operated from the same hand wheel.

The invention also resides in such further features of construction and combinations of parts as will more fully hereinafter ap.

pear.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional View through a boiler to which my invention is applied;

Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional view of the construction, the section being taken on line 22 of Figure 1:

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view through one of the tube cleaning units;

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view of the same, the section being taken on line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Describing in detail the particular embodiment of my invention shown in the drawings and referring first to the general construction, there is indicated a VVickes type of boiler in which the vertical rows of tubes A connect the upper and lower headers B and B, the boiler being provided with a steam and jets E through which the steam is discharged against the surfaces to be cleaned. For rotating the unitsthere is provided the usual hand wheel Flocated out side of the boiler.

Owing to the short distance between the rows of boiler tubes A, it is impractical to insert between said rows a cleaner of sufficiently large diameter to carry a discharge nozzle for each of the boiler tub-es. Therefore, in the present construction there are provided two blower tubes D and D for each blower unit D. The tube D has its discharge nozzles E arranged to discharge steam against the surfaces of every other boiler tube, while the pipe D has its dis charge nozzles E alternated with those of the pipe D At their outer ends both pipes D and D extend into a header G and respectively carry gears H and H preferably located within a cap or housingI which also forms the bearing for the hand wheel shaft J In order to give a slow or step-down movement so that the pipes will not be rotated faster than the steam will properly clean the tubes, there is employed a pinion K upon the shaft -J which drives both the gears H and H simultaneously and at the same rate. In this manner the unit after being mounted as above described, can be operated in the same way that the single blower units are operated and the usual number of turns of the hand wheel will clean the entire set of tubes.

I do not, however, desire to limit'the invention to the particular form of gear or to the particular combination and arrangement of parts, except as ultimately set forth in the claims.

What I claim as my invention is 1. In a boiler cleaner, the combination with rows of spaced boiler tubes, of a pair of rotatable blower pipes extending between adjacent rows of said tubes, having jets for discharging a cleaning fluid againstthe surfaces of the tubes, a fluid supply chamber for said pipes at one end of the same, a common drive mechanism for said pipes within said chamber, and actuating means for said mechanism exterior to said chamber.

2. In a boiler cleaner, the combination with I'OWs of spaced boiler tubes, of a pair of rotatable blower pipes having jet-s for discharging a fluid against said tubes, a common fluid supply chamber for said pipes at one end thereof, gearing within said.

chamber for actuating said pipes, a drive member for said gearing extendingexteriorly of said chamber and an actuating member carrier by said drive member exteriorly of the chamber.

3. In a boiler cleaner, the combination with rows of spaced boiler tubes, of a blower unit con'iprising a pair of rotatable blower pipes extending transversely between adjacent rows of the tubes and having nozzles for discharging a cleaning substance against the surface of the tubes, the nozzles on the respective pipes registering with alternate spaces between the tubes, a common fluid supply chamber with which the said rotatable pipes have direct communication and a common means for rotating said pipes.

4. The combination with a boiler having a plurality of relatively closely adjacent boiler tubes, oi a boiler cleaner unit comprising a pair of rotatable blower pipes extending transversely between adjacent rows of the boiler tubes,each of said blower pipes being of a relatively small diameter whereby said unit may be installed without substantial modification of the boiler, and each blower tube having a plurality of fluid dis charge nozzles substantially corresponding in number with one-half the total sum of the spaces between adjacent boiler tubes in the direction of the blower pipes, the nozzles of said pipes respectively aligning with different tube spaces, means for supplying a cleaning fluid to said blower pipes for discharge through said nozzles, and a common means for rotating said pipes.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

"Josnri-i o. arcnnnns. I 

